Improvement in bee-hives



tamtam aora eine JAMES A. DOUGLASS, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent N o. 108,984, dated November 8, 1870.-

w IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-Hlves'.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same'.

Toull wleomwit may concern of a well-known and peculiar' habit of the honey-bees,

and thereby transfer them without injury, and withlittle trouble to the owner, Vto another hive. 'The habit to which I allude is that of' always working from the top ot' the hive downward.

rlhe means which I employ to accomplish this purpose are two bottomless hives, placed base to base, and having a sliding removable partition between them. The upper one being filled to the extent re# quired, the whole is reversed and the slide removed. The bees, finding the vacant chamber above, will at once transfer their labors tothe top of the new upper box; when the slide can be replaced and the lower box detached. v

Figure 1 is a front view of one detached boit;

Figure 3, a section of the same.

A and F are two boxes, each open at one end, and having adjacent thereto, the usual apertures for the income and outgo of the bees. vThese open ends are placed together, as seen in tig. 3. 4

O is the detachable slide which forms the temporary hottomo'f one and top of the other.

D is a band or base-board, which breaks the' joint formed by the ]nxtaposition of' the two bivesfand is grooved, to receive the slide C. v Having thus'described all that is necessary to a fnl understanding of my invention,-

What I esteem to be new, and desire to protect by.

Letters Patent, is- Y c The reversible and bottomless hives A F, combined with a detachable slide C, as' and' for the purpose described.

JAMES A. DOUGLASS.

Witnesses:

JOHN HIcKEY, J, A. CONRAD.

Figure 2, a side view of the two boxes together; .and 

